After months spent wondering if we’d ever again experience the feeling of sun on skin, spring has finally deigned to grace us with its presence. Complaints of endless grey skies have been replaced with moans about the heat, city parks are swarming with scantily-clad bodies, and the search for the best face sunscreen has kicked into overdrive.
You will have heard a million times now that wearing a face SPF every day is a non-negotiable in the pursuit of healthy skin (yes, that includes the frosty depths of winter). Even if you’re more of an indoors-y type, wearing sunscreen every day is a must, especially if you’re sitting by a window or using a screen for an extended period of time—all of us.
Routinely being exposed to the sun without adequate protection causes everything from premature ageing and pigmentation to skin cancer. So, where to begin on the sojourn towards adequate sun safety? By determining whether you’re camp chemical or physical. Physical sunscreens reflect light and UV rays, using mineral-based ingredients such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. In contrast, chemical sunscreens absorb and neutralise UV rays, containing ingredients like oxybenzone, avobenzone, and methoxycinnamate. While I personally prefer chemical sunblock for reasons of better absorption, especially when it’s being chased up by a face of makeup, both types are effective as long as they are water-resistant and broad-spectrum, providing protection from both UVA and UVB rays.
Next is navigating what SPF (sun protective factor) is best for you. In winter, it’s generally advised to use a minimum of SPF15+ or SPF30+ if you’re hitting the slopes, while in summer SPF30+ or preferably SPF50+, especially if your S/S plans include sprawling out on a beach like a lizard under the hot Mediterranean sun.
White casts and thick, filmy residue belong to a bygone era—for the most part—yet it’s still tricky to navigate the sunscreen scene. A place of overwhelming choice and often underwhelming discoveries. To help you in your quest, we’ve whittled down our tried-and-tested favourites…
